Less than a week after Mayor Tim Keller’s appearance at GACC’s September Board meeting where he updated members on issues like crime and revitalizing downtown, the mayor and some of his key lieutenants provided an overview of the transformative initiatives that have driven the Downtown Forward campaign.
Downtown Forward, as defined by the city, is an implementation plan to create a safe, vibrant and inclusive community with the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency and Albuquerque Police Department.
During their Downtown Forward webinar October 3, the mayor, Metropolitan Redevelopment Director Terry Brunner, Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina and APD’s Downtown Acting Deputy Commander Jose Sanchez highlighted the progress made through their collaborative efforts. The vision is to make downtown a place for people to gather day and night by creating attractions that are interesting, inviting, and most importantly, safe.
Public Safety
Medina and Sanchez talked about how police involvement using the TEAMS Program (Targeted Enforcement and Active Monitoring), which started in the fall of 2022, has created more proactive enforcement and as a result, more arrests. The city has been experimenting with strategically redirecting resources to certain downtown hotspots at targeted times. There has also been a focus on auto theft, traffic enforcement and better lighting.
Although certainly not as low as they would like, the chief said car theft in Albuquerque is the lowest it’s been nationally in a decade because they have focused on downtown. He also said traffic citations have increased from 24,000/year to 85,000/year. Traffic enforcement has not only detoured reckless driving but also taken drugs, guns and felons off the streets.
Sanchez said other crime stats like personal and property crime have dropped since TEAMs was implemented. Shoplifting is down 45%. Additionally, the TEAMs approach has had officers focus more on aggravated assault victims while the city does all it can to prosecute those cases.
Intimately tied to making downtown safe are the issues of drug use and behavioral health that are often part of the homeless community. The mayor says Gateway Center takes a comprehensive approach to dealing with these issues, extending compassion and assistance. It provides a place where people in crisis can be transported to safely around the clock, often by personnel from Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS) teams, to get a wide range of help and services. A Chamber trip with local officials to San Antonio inspired the Gateway, and the Chamber has championed it from the start.
Economic Development
Development of downtown is the other key component to its vitality. The mayor and his team talked about the different financial tools they are using to attract people and businesses to downtown like tax financing options, property tax abatement and improvement grants for specific downtown districts. Two Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency grants, the Route 66 Signs Program and Storefront Activation, are available on the city’s website at: https://www.cabq.gov/mra/incentives. Additionally, the city is wide open to establishing a Business Improvement District (BID) because it would help “put businesses in charge of its development instead of politicians.”
The progress report also highlighted the need for new transit-orientated housing opportunities to draw people there. Those already in the works include The Downtowner and the Imperial, which the mayor says is a is a new housing project with “a 1960s Palm Spring vibe.”
Another top priority of the Chamber and something that is integral to the housing draw is the Rail Trail Project. The Rail Trail is an 8-mile loop that connects the Railyards, the downtown convention and business district, Old Town, our city’s bio park facilities, and the Bosque. An important part of the Rail Trail is the development of Central Crossing, an area that has been an accessibility and safety issue for decades. A new crossing will improve vehicular traffic flow and reinstitute multi-modal pedestrian accessibility near Central Ave. and First Ave. NW. Its development allows for the city to be reconnected at a key intersection while being aesthetically pleasing for users.
… And More!
The group listed other components and attractions that are being addressed and promoted as downtown enhancements, including: bringing in established restaurants; dog parks; new welcome signs on MLK; a renovated Hotel Blu; a new Ex Novo Taproom; Civic Plaza improvements; development of the Railyards (including the new media academy); strategic property purchases for redevelopment as well as the renovation of current buildings; the continuation of Bonds of Enchantment at the Kimo Theater and Food Truck Fridays; neighborhood block parties that offer music, food and libations; and, of course, parking considerations, since parking is always a part of the discussion.
Although there are always issues and obstacles to making positive improvements, it’s apparent that some of the progress envisioned for downtown Albuquerque is starting to take shape.